Challenging Management of Acute Cholangitis in a Patient With Unextractable Common Bile Duct Stone Post Gastrojejunostomy Surgery

This case report details the management of an 89-year-old female with a complex surgical history, including cholecystectomy, left hepatectomy, and repair of an iatrogenic duodenal perforation, who presented with acute cholangitis due to a large common bile duct stone. Faced with the challenges of altered anatomy and the patient's frailty, a multidisciplinary team employed a series of interventions, including percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The case was further complicated by difficulties in navigating the altered biliary tract, necessitating the use of advanced endoscopic techniques such as cholangioscopy and electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) for stone fragmentation and removal, leading to the successful resolution of the obstruction. This report underscores the importance of individualized care and highlights the efficacy of innovative endoscopic approaches in managing complex biliary disorders in elderly patients with significant surgical histories.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Management of Gallbladder, Biliary Tract, and Pancreatic Diseases

Introduction Biliary diseases are a major acute general surgical burden. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard surgical procedure, although it was discontinued during an outbreak. Effective management permits decisive therapy, symptom alleviation, and fewer hospitalizations and complications. Throughout the initial COVID-19 situation, surgical procedures for patients were delayed. Invasive services were required to employ conservative or non-operative therapy, which could lead to increased recurring presentations and biliary-pancreatic problems. Aim Examining the impact of COVID-19 on the outcomes and hospitalizations of patients suffering from gallstone, biliary tract, and pancreatic diseases.  Methods The retrospective analysis included patients with the following ICD-10 codes who presented to our unit: cholelithiasis (K80), cholecystitis (K81), and acute pancreatitis (K85). We compared the interval of the first COVID-19 pandemic wave, from March to August 2020, with the period before the pandemic, referred to as Pre-COVID-19. After applying exclusion criteria, a total of 868 patients were enrolled in the trial, having initially recruited around 1,400 individuals using these codes. Patients with inaccurate coding, cancer, or non-stone disease were excluded (e.g., alcoholic pancreatitis). The demographic information, admission details, investigations, surgical therapy, operating specifics, and postoperative complications of the patients were noted. Changes in surgical management, patient representation, and postoperative complications were the key outcomes. Results A statistically significant (p<0.05) rise was seen in repeat presentations in the COVID group, most likely due to the failure of definitive treatment. The other outcome is the distribution of presentations was comparable, patients with acute cholecystitis and gallstone pancreatitis showed statistically significant (p<0.05) lower rates of definitive therapy. Conclusion During the COVID period, all surgeries except those for cancer were halted. Unknown causes led to several consequences related to the gallbladder, biliary tract, and pancreas. Patients with cholecystitis, gallstone pancreatitis, and pancreatic inflammation experienced a lower probability of treatment. The increase in hospitalizations and self-presentations indicated that definitive therapy, designed to restrict COVID-19 exposure, actually increased patient risk. Despite this risk, we had no COVID-19 instances in our cohort. The evaluation of the long-term consequences of the pandemic on acute pancreatitis and its care will require a large-scale, multicenter investigation.